Illinois: We Want To Cancel With No ETF If Our Phone Breaks 3 Times

According to the Chicago Tribune, Rep. Susana Mendoza, a Chicago Democrat is fed up with her lemon cell phone. That’s why she’s sponsoring legislation in Illinois that would :

allow the state’s 8.5 million wireless customers to cancel their contracts without paying early termination fees if a phone must be replaced or repaired at least three times within a contract period.

Consumers would also have the option to upgrade or downgrade phones without extending their service agreements, and companies would have to provide customers with a written statement informing them of their rights. Damage caused by consumers would not be covered.

The cell phone companies are naturally against it, and mysteriously uninformed about what to say to newspapers…

“This provides a road map for customers to get out of their contracts if all they do is complain aggressively enough,” said Mike McDermott, executive director of state public policy for Verizon. “Why not let cable subscribers cancel their contracts if they have bad reception three times in a row? It’s a treacherous path.”

By a show of hands, who here has been charged an ETF for canceling Comcast? Anyone? —MEGHANN MARCO